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After Hong Kong lifted its epidemic prevention and control measures last year, the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong has not returned to pre-epidemic levels. Local public opinion has proposed reintroducing the “one visa, multiple trips” measure for Shenzhen residents to attract Shenzhen residents to go to the south for consumption and boost Hong Kong’s economy.
“One visa, multiple trips” refers to a visa that can be used multiple times within the period of validity; on the contrary, it is a single-entry visa that can only be used once, also known as “one visa, one trip”. . Holders of the “One Visa, Multiple Travel” visa can apply for multiple entry and exit rights at the border at the same time, which is more convenient than the “One Visa, One Travel” visa.
As of 2009, Shenzhen residents can apply for a “single visa, multiple trip visa” to travel to Hong Kong. However, due to issues such as the impact of parallel traders on Hong Kong society, mainland China discontinued the relevant policy in 2015 and instead issued a “one trip per week” endorsement.
In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Huang Guoquan, 56, who is in the catering business in Hong Kong, said that some travel agencies, restaurants and shop professionals who deal with tourists reported that their business is in a downturn due to insufficient tourist numbers and insufficient purchasing power. Dilemma.
Citing the hospitality industry as an example, Huang Guoquan said fewer tourists came to Hong Kong after the inland port was fully reopened last year. In addition, the performance of the Hong Kong stock market was not optimal, and many Hong Kong people were not satisfied. People had low consumption intentions, which led to poor business in the catering industry. Among them, those who take the mid-range route have the greatest impact.
He expressed hope that the Chinese mainland government would reintroduce the “one visa, multiple trips” policy. “In the past, customers from Shenzhen specifically came to Hong Kong, ate in my restaurant and then returned to Shenzhen in the evening. If more.” “If mainlanders come to Hong Kong, it will definitely be good for us. The business helps.”
Last year, Hong Kong’s economy did not perform as expected after the lifting of epidemic prevention and control measures. More and more people in Hong Kong are hoping to restore the “one visa, multiple trips” policy. The Hong Kong Department Store and Commercial Employees Federation surveyed 392 members through an online questionnaire from the 28th of last month to the 5th of this month. The results showed that 28.1% and 41.3% of respondents respectively expressed strong support and support for the re-registration of Shenzhen residents with “one visa, multiple lines”.
The survey also found that 60.8% of respondents believed that reintroducing the “one visa, multiple trips” policy could help retail in Hong Kong, and 65.8% supported extending the measure to other areas in the Greater Bay Area.
Chung Bowen, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Department Store and Commercial Employees Federation, attended a television program on Thursday (Jan 11) and pointed out that there will be more if the “one visa, multiple lines” can be reintroduced tourists, which will be helpful for retail in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong’s “Ming Pao” reported in early January that Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu proposed three measures to the central government during his official briefing in Beijing late last year, including increasing the number of cities for independent travel and restoring the “one visa for multiple trips” and increasing the number of people visiting Hong Kong from the mainland. The tax exemption for tourists is expected to boost Hong Kong’s domestic consumption.
Hong Kong Legislative Council member Tian Beichen revealed on Wednesday (Jan 10) that Hong Kong and the mainland are discussing reinstating the “one visa, multiple trips” policy ahead of the Lunar New Year. At present, they are mainly considering the scope of Shenzhen’s opening, that is, whether it will be opened only to Shenzhen residents or to the population living in Shenzhen. He estimated the next step would be to review the situation and consider whether to expand the One Visa, Multiple Trips program to other cities in the greater Bay Area.
Data from the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Statistics shows that the local registered population was 5.8 million at the end of 2022, and the permanent population reached 17.66 million. Tian Beichen believes that “one visa, multiple trips” can make same-day travel more common and offset the impact of Hong Kong people’s northward consumption on Hong Kong’s economy.
However, the Hong Kong Economic Journal on Thursday quoted an insider as saying that the mainland will not accept all of Hong Kong’s demands as the current consumer sentiment in the mainland is also not good. Having fun will have side effects on the local economy; The mainland government is aware that Shenzhen has recently benefited from the consumption dividends of northbound Hong Kong residents, and is therefore willing to abandon the “one visa, multiple lines” system for Shenzhen registered residents for reasons of morality and To resume fairness. Whether the policy is extended to Shenzhen residents or even the entire Greater Bay Area depends on the influence of the Hong Kong government.
In fact, Hong Kong society also has doubts about the effectiveness of reintroducing the “one visa, multiple trips” principle. Zhong Bowen believes that reintroducing “One Visa, Multiple Trips” and expanding the applicable cities can increase the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong. However, the retail format in mainland China has changed, with more online shopping, live broadcasts, etc., coupled with factors such as price and experience, “The economic impact brought by “multi-line signature” is possible not as good as before.
He pointed out that the Hong Kong government and Hong Kong businesses need to think about how to differentiate in terms of tourism experience, community features and product quality to attract tourists back to Hong Kong.
Gao Weiwei, councilor for Hong Kong’s northern district bordering Shenzhen, believes parallel importers have declined in recent years. If the “one visa, multiple lines” policy is reintroduced, he believes that the problem of parallel importers will be solved. Importers will not recur, but the problem of insufficient transportation will arise.
Gao Weiwei said the recent visit of mainland tourists to Hong Kong has caused traffic congestion in Sheung Shui, New Territories during rush hours. The increase in tourists could affect traffic. He suggested that authorities should provide adequate supporting facilities and consider traffic capacity to avoid too many tourists and disrupt the lives of residents.
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